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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. object — an aim
  13. club — a group
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. toast — bread
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com